The authors examined whether a serum pepsinogen test (SPT) based on the combination of the serum pepsinogen I level and pepsinogen I/II ratio is a good predictor of gastric cancer occurrence in a general Japanese population. A total of 2,446 subjects aged > or =40 years were classified into negative, positive, and strong-positive SPT groups and were followed prospectively for 14 years (1988-2002). Compared with that for the negative SPT group (26 men, 10 women), gastric cancer incidence increased significantly for both men (n = 17; age-adjusted hazard ratio = 4.56, 95% confidence interval: 2.42, 8.60) and women (n = 6; age-adjusted hazard ratio = 5.84, 95% confidence interval: 2.00, 17.11) in the strong-positive SPT group. It was also significantly higher in the positive SPT group for men (n = 23; age-adjusted hazard ratio = 3.91, 95% confidence interval: 2.23, 6.86). These associations did not attenuate even after adjustment for other comprehensive risk factors. Stratified analysis revealed significant associations between the SPT and development of intestinal-type gastric cancer as well as of cancer in both Helicobacter pylori-negative and -positive subjects. These findings suggest that the SPT can serve as a predictor of intestinal-type gastric cancer, irrespective of H. pylori infection.
SUMMARYAtopic disorders are caused by disregulated activation of T helper 2 (Th2) cells that produce IL-4 and IL-5. Because the presence of IL-4 potently augments the differentiation of naive T cells into Th2 cells, it is important to seek the cell population which provides IL-4 for naive T cells. Recently, a unique subpopulation of T cells, natural killer (NK) T cells, has been shown to produce a large amount of IL-4 upon activation, suggesting their regulatory role in initiation of Th2 cell differentiation. To determine whether NK T cells play a regulatory role in human Th2 cell-mediated atopic diseases, we analysed the frequency of invariant Va 24Ja Q CD4 2 CD8 2 double-negative (DN) T cells, human NK T cells, in patients with atopic asthma and atopic dermatitis. We also studied cytokine production from Va 24 1
Vb 111 DN T cells, which comprise most of Va 24Ja Q DN T cells. We found that the invariant Va 24Ja Q DN T cells were greatly diminished in patients with asthma and atopic dermatitis. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in Va 24 1 CD4 1 T cells possessing invariant Va 24Ja Q TCR between healthy subjects and atopic patients. We also found that Va 241 Vb 11 1 DN T cells from healthy subjects predominantly produced interferon-gamma (IFN-g) but not IL-4 upon activation. These results suggest that NK T cells may not be essential for human atopic disease and that the disappearance of NK T cells, most of which produce IFN-g, may be involved in the pathogenesis of atopic diseases.
The present phantom study indicated that HSRMP-SPECT could be a useful technique for quickly obtaining high-quality SPECT images of a moving subject, thereby improving perfusion defect clarity in comparison with the conventional technique. This technique may have potential utility for obtaining high-quality breath-hold SPECT images of the chest in clinical practice.
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